TCU vs Arizona: Halftime Report

TCU leads at the half vs Arizona. The TCU defense has looked good, but Arizona has made things difficult on both sides of the ball.

TCU safety, Richard Toney Jr., goes mid-air for a ball during warmups before a matchup against the Arizona Wildcats. / Brian McLean/Killer Frogs (TCU on Sports Illustrated)

1st Half Highlights

Arizona won the toss and elected to start on offense to get an early lead. Sadly for the Wildcats, Bud Clark had other plans as he picked off Noah Fifita on the first play of the game. Josh Hoover and the offense capitalized on the turnover by driving down the field with ease, resulting in a Trent Battle 4-yard rushing touchdown. Bech caught a 10-yard pass, resulting in a first down earlier in the drive, and Trent Battle had a 15-yard rush toward TCU's sideline to put the Frogs near the goalline.

Tetairoa McMillan made his first catch of the game for 15 yards and a first down. That's all the Wildcats would get as the Horned Frogs forced two incompletions, resulting in a Wildcat punt. Jack Bech caught a 7-yard pass from Hoover, bringing up 3rd and 4. DJ Rogers made a contested catch for the first down as TCU reached the 50-yard line. After a 5-yard penalty, the Arizona defense did their job forcing Josh Hoover to make uncomfortable throws, resulting in an interception by Jack Luttrell.

Arizona stuck with the ground game to begin their 3rd offensive drive. Quali Conley rushed multiple times for short gains and ended up getting a 1st down near midfield. A 9-yard sack by Cooper McDonald ended any hope the Wildcats had for their offensive drive. On 3rd and 19, Noah Fifita couldn't connect with Quali Conley, forcing the Wildcat punt. TCU began their 3rd offensive drive at their 39-yard line. Eric McAlister made his presence known for the first time today as he caught a 40-yard pass over the middle, bringing TCU into the red zone. Savion Williams punched it in for a goalline touchdown by leaping over the offensive line, making it a two-score game.

The Arizona offense found life for the first time in the game with a 51-yard deep ball over the middle to Sam Olson. On 3rd and 9, Noah Fifita connected with Chris Hunter in the back-right corner of the endzone for a Wildcat touchdown. TCU ran one play leading to the end of the 1st quarter. For the first time today, the Horned Frogs were held to a 3 -and-out on offense.

Tetairoa McMillan came up big for the Wildcats with an 8-yard catch, resulting in a first down. Chris Hunter and Jeremiah Patterson each made an impact with catches near the 50-yard line. Kedrick Reescano and Quali Conley both combined for 10 yards on the ground, resulting in another first down for Arizona starting at the TCU 37 yard line. On 3rd and 8 in TCU territory, Noah Fifita connected with Tetairoa McMillan but only for a 1-yard gain. Arizona elected to try for the 53-yard field goal. Tyler Loop delivered for Arizona, making it a 4-point game.

With 8:08 remaining in the half, TCU began their 5th offensive drive. The Horned Frogs drive wouldn't last long as the Wildcat defense has made it extremely difficult for Josh Hoover and the offense to move the football since their first few drives at the beginning of the game. TCU has gone 3 -and-out for the 2nd time in a row.

With 7:00 remaining in the 1st half, Arizona began their drive to potentially take the lead for the first time today. McMillan expectedly has become a prime target for Noah Fifita as he has targeted him 9 times in the 1st half. Around midfield, a called holding penalty went the Horned Frogs' way, setting up a 1st and 20 for Arizona. A spectacular back-shoulder deep ball to McMillan set the Wildcats up inside the TCU 15-yard line. A sack by Nana Osafo-Mensah made scoring a touchdown much harder for Noah Fifita, and the offense made it 4th and 20 with 2:00 remaining in the half. Tyler Loop nailed the field goal, making it a 1-point game with under two minutes to go.

With under 2 minutes, TCU began their final drive of the half. After a short pass caught by J.P. Richardson, the Horned Frogs were met with a 3rd and 2 on their end of the field. Hoover was pressured but scrambled out of the pocket and put his body on the line, resulting in a 1st down. A catch made by Eric McAlister over the middle gave the Horned Frogs a 1st down past the 50-yard line. With things looking grim after an intentional grounding penalty, J.P. Richardson came up big with a 24-yard catch toward the TCU sideline, putting the Frogs in the red zone. With 20 seconds remaining in the half, the direct snap to Savion Williams paid off as TCU took an 8-point lead into the 2nd half.

Halftime Score: TCU- 21, Arizona- 13

Scoring Summary	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	Total
TCU	14	7	21
Arizona	7	6	13

Halftime Stats

Team Stats	TCU	Arizona
Total Yards	194	192
Passing Yards	148	187
Rushing Yards	46	5
1st Downs	10	10
3rd Down Efficiency	2-4	7-11
4th Down Efficiency	0-0	0-0
Turnovers	1	1
Sacks	2 for -20 yards	2 for -23 yards
Penalties	2 for -5 yards	2 for -15 yards

Key Players of the First Half:

• Tetairoa McMillan: While he hasn't been as explosive as he normally is, McMillan has been a reliable target for Fifita as he's racked up 76 yards on 6 receptions.
• Eric McAlister: The junior has 2 receptions for 64 yards. Both receptions have led the Horned Frogs to scoring points.
• Bud Clark: 1 INT. On the first play of the game, the junior safety cut off a pass toward the sideline resulting in a TCU touchdown only a few plays later.
• Savion Williams: The senior wide receiver has been an integral part of the TCU offense today. Williams has 41 yards on 6 rushing attempts as well as 2 receptions for 18 yards.

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